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Author: Gina-Marie Cheeseman

Gina-Marie is a freelance writer and journalist armed with a degree in journalism, and a passion for social justice, including the environment and sustainability. She writes for various websites, and has made the 75+ Environmentalists to Follow list by Mashable.com.

California’s cap-and-trade program has $832 million earmarked for energy efficiency, public transit, affordable housing and other projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At least 25 percent of the funds are required to be invested in the state’s most disadvantaged communities, such as Fresno’s Roosevelt neighborhood.

Aditya Birla, global maker of rayon fibers, has a new fiber sourcing policy that seeks to embed sustainable sourcing into company’s supply chain. The main aim of the new policy is to stop sourcing from ancient and endangered forests.

Panera Bread shares progress on meeting its commitment to remove artificial ingredients from its U.S. Panera Bread and St. Louis Bread Co. menus. The company’s “No No List” is bans more than 150 ingredients, including artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives.

Californians are responding to their state’s environmental record, as the results of DDB’s Life Style Study show. The study compared California adults to Americans from other states and found that Californians are much more likely to engage in behaviors indicating they care about the environment.

On Wednesday, California Gov. Jerry Brown set a new greenhouse gas reduction target of 40 percent by 2030, using 1990 as a baseline. It isn’t just the most ambitious state-imposed emissions goal in the U.S. but within North America.

On Monday, Tyson Foods announced it will phase out the use of antibiotics in its U.S. broiler chicken flocks, chickens raised for meat, by September 2017. The Natural Resources Defense Council called Tyson’s decision a “tipping point” for removing antibiotics from the nation’s chicken supply chain.

In its 45th annual Global Responsibility Report, released last week, General Mills tracks its impact across the value chain and calculates its progress. From sustainable sourcing to energy made from Greek yogurt leftovers, check out how the food giant is embracing sustainability.

The Natural Resources Defense Council and FracTracker Alliance launched an investigation of the publicly provided information on oil and gas company violations. What they found is that state and federal agencies aren’t providing information on violations “in a transparent, easily accessible or comprehensive way.”

From 1915 until 1923, about 1.5 million Armenians lost their lives. Forced out of their homes and ancient land, they were made to walk death marches to the Syrian desert. Most died along the way. Even 100 years later, the Turkish government continues to deny that what happened was genocide.

This week, McDonald’s announced a commitment to remove deforestation from its supply chain. The global fast food company’s commitment includes its entire supply chain but places a priority on certain products, including beef, fiber-based packaging, coffee, palm oil and poultry.

An overwhelming majority (98 percent) of shareholders voted for a resolution on climate change at a BP annual general meeting held on April 16. The resolution requires increased annual reporting on climate change risks. But is the resolution’s passing really something to cheer?

There are many ways to celebrate Earth Week and highlight the importance of living a more sustainable life. EcoPlum, an online fashion and gift item store, is opening its first pop-up shop with Environment Furniture in New York City, lasting from April 16 to April 22.

Chipotle stopped serving pork at hundreds of its restaurants back in January due to a shortage of naturally-raised pork. The fast food chain’s shortage highlights the problem with the U.S. supply of sustainably produced meat.